Page 56 of On His Bride's Terms

Primo nodded. ‘And earlier...when we were younger. I should have taken more care over you. You’re my baby brother.’

Quin smiled and shook his head. ‘I was just thankful that I wasn’tyou. You took the pressure off me to be something I had no desire to be.’

Primo glanced at his nephew and his sister-in-law and said, ‘Still, I’m sorry that we didn’t have more of this... More time to be brothers without cares.’

‘There’s still time.’

Primo looked at Quin and felt the emotion rise again, swelling his chest. ‘Thank you,’ he said, his voice slightly rough.

‘Hey, Uncle Primo! Come and play with us!’

Primo welcomed the distraction and went to join Sadie and his nephew.

The baby—one of the babies—was crying. Faye looked around helplessly, but everyone had disappeared. Quin had gone inside. Primo and Sadie and Sol were hunting for the ball that Primo had kicked into the copse of trees. And one of the babies was now wailing pitifully.

Faye got up and went over and peeked under the muslin net. A pair of dark eyes looked up at her. Beautiful eyes. Ringed with long lashes. A rosebud mouth. She’d stopped crying momentarily, but now her little face scrunched up again and the mouth opened.

Faye whispered, ‘Oh, no, please don’t. You’ll wake your sister and I don’t know what to do.’

But now she was wailing again and so, acting on an instinct too strong to ignore, Faye reached in and carefully extracted the baby. She was heavier than she’d expected, and she looked at Faye for a moment with tear-laden lashes before reaching out her pudgy arms.

Faye put her over her shoulder and awkwardly patted her back. She seemed to like that. She stopped crying. Faye walked up and down, jiggling her a little on her shoulder.

‘You’re a natural.’

Faye turned around to see Sadie. She was vaguely aware that Primo and Sol were playing football again. ‘Oh, no, I’m not. Really, I’m not. I’ve hardly ever held a baby.’

Faye felt sure Sadie would rush to take her baby back, but the woman seemed utterly unconcerned.

She checked on the other twin and chuckled. ‘Stella is the lazy one—she’ll sleep through a tornado. Luna wants to know what’s going on. She obviously wanted to meet you.’

Faye smiled, but it felt shaky. Holding this warm, trusting baby was bittersweet. Her head was nestled into Faye’s neck. She could feel her breath against her skin.

Sadie asked, ‘Are you and Primo...? Do you plan on having a family?’ And then she put a hand over her face and said. ‘Please—forgive me. You don’t have to answer that. It’s such an intrusive question and you’re only just married.’

But Faye shook her head. With this baby in her arms, and Sadie’s easy manner, she heard herself admitting, ‘I’ve told Primo that I won’t have children...but it’s not that I won’t... Ican’t.’

Sadie’s hand went to her mouth. Her eyes filled with compassion. ‘Oh, Faye, I’m so sorry. I had no idea...’

Much to Faye’s horror, she could feel her eyes prickling. As if sensing Faye’s unravelling, Sadie reached for the baby and deftly re-installed the now sleeping infant back into the pram.

She discreetly led Faye away from the garden. ‘Are you okay?’

Faye nodded. ‘I’m so sorry... It’s just...’

It all tumbled out—how their marriage was really only a marriage of convenience, but that Primo did want a family at some point, and Faye had no intention of telling him that could never happen so she was going to leave when the six months was up.

‘I’m so sorry, Faye... You’re in love with him, aren’t you?’

Faye nodded. ‘Pathetic, isn’t it?’

‘Not really,’ Sadie commiserated. ‘I suffer from the same affliction.’

‘But Quin adores you.’

Sadie made a face. ‘It wasn’t straightforward for us... But that story would require at least a bottle of wine.’

‘Mama! Luna is awake again.’

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